It’s About Writing

Gotta Read It by Libbie Hawker is a book on writing, not reading. I initially thought this was going to be a guide to selecting great books. But that was a ridiculous assumption because right there, on the cover in big words is a subtitle “Five Simple Steps to a Fiction Pitch That Sells.” I am an addicted reader, so what is it about readers that sooner or later they will read books about writing?

The table of contents tells me that to describe the five simple steps, sixteen subject divisions are required. Amazon tells me that the time to read this book is one hour. Possibly due to its very entertaining style of writing, I read it in about 30 minutes. The central point? It doesn’t matter how good your book is if you are unable to pitch it to a market. Notice that this is about fiction writing; Hawker has a work in progress that will cover historical work.

The points she makes are all good, valid, and would be good as a template and reminder list to say “Did I do all these things?” She gives instruction but she is not making unfounded assertions. There are plenty of example of pitches included with her analysis of what works, what didn’t, and how to make a pitch better.

As I read through her examples, I counted about six that were examples from books she has written. So this book is a cool advertising gambit for her other works. And there is nothing wrong with that. This publication still serves a purpose as it gives good information.

Notice I mentioned that I noted “about six” publications. There is an addendum at the end of the book listing both her published works and works in progress. I found it fascinating, joined her Facebook page and am sure I will read at least one of her books. The Pharaohs don’t occupy a place in my favorite genre but I am open to new reading experiences.

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Author: ron877

A reader, encouraging others to expand their knowledge of English through reading along with me some books I am currently reading. I will publish some reviews of books I have found notable. Comments in agreement and disagreement are welcome.
Ronald Keeler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to https://www.amazon.com.
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